Morphological and Biochemical Adaptive Changes Associated With A Short-period Starvation of Adult Male Japanese Quail (Coturnix japonica)

Objective: The morphological and biochemical impact of a short-period of starvation on Japanese quail was investigated. Materials and Methods: Ten adult male Japanese quail were divided into two groups; control fed and starved. The control-fed group was offered food and water ad libitum and the starved group was subjected to a short-period of food deprivation. After 2.5 days, the serum was obtained and different parameters including the total protein, AST, ALT, triglyceride, HDL, LDL, creatinine and urea were assessed. Gastrointestinal tract, stomach and liver were excised and their masses were estimated. Paraffin and resin embedded sections from the proventriculus, gizzard, liver, duodenum, kidney and pancreas were examined with a light microscopy. Results: Significant decreases in the masses of body, gastrointestinal tract, stomach and liver of the starved group were recorded. The liver and duodenum were the most affected organs. The liver showed depletion of glycogen, vacuolation, hyperemia and cellular infiltrations. Duodenal villi showed degenerative changes in lamina epithelialis and cellular infiltrations in the lamina propria. Biochemical analysis revealed a decreased level of total protein, AST and ALT, increased cholesterol, triglycerides and LDL and unchanged HDL, urea and creatinine by starvation. Conclusion: The current study described in details the effect of short time starvation on quail organs. Time-point adaptive responses of male quail to starvation and refeeding will be investigated in future studies

Protective effect of camel milk as anti-diabetic supplement: biochemical, molecular and immunohistochemical study

Background: Diabetes is a serious disease affects human health. Diabetes in advanced stages is accompanied by general weakness and alteration in fats and carbohydrates metabolism. Recently there are some scientific trends about the usage of camel milk (CM) in the treatment of diabetes and its associated alterations. CM contains vital active particles with insulin like action that cure diabetes and its complications but how these effects occur, still unclear.Materials and Methods: Seventy-five adult male rats of the albino type divided into five equal groups. Group 1 served as a negative control (C). Group 2 was supplemented with camel milk (CM). Diabetes was induced in the remaining groups (3, 4 and 5). Group 3 served as positive diabetic control (D). Group 4 served as diabetic and administered metformin (D+MET). Group 5 served as diabetes and supplemented with camel milk (D+CM). Camel milk was supplemented for two consecutive months. Serum glucose, leptin, insulin, liver, kidney, antioxidants, MDA and lipid profiles were assayed. Tissues from liver and adipose tissues were examined using RT-PCR analysis for the changes in mRNA expression of genes of carbohydrates and lipid metabolism. Pancreas and liver were used for immunohistochemical examination using specific antibodies.Results: Camel milk supplementation ameliorated serum biochemical measurements that altered after diabetes induction. CM supplementation up-regulated mRNA expression of IRS-2, PK, and FASN genes, while down-regulated the expression of CPT-1 to control mRNA expression level. CM did not affect the expression of PEPCK gene. On the other hand, metformin failed to reduce the expression of CPT-1 compared to camel milk administered rats. Immunohistochemical findings revealed that CM administration restored the immunostaining reactivity of insulin and GLUT-4 in the pancreas of diabetic rats.Conclusion: CM administration is of medical importance and helps physicians in the treatment of diabetes mellitus.Keywords: Camel milk, Diabetes, Gene expression, Immunohistochemistr

Recent advances in the Biosynthesis of Zirconium Oxide Nanoparticles and their Biological Applications

أثار أكسيد الزركونيوم  ZrO2  اهتمام الباحثين في جميع أنحاء العالم، لا سيما منذ تطوير طرق لتصنيع جزيئات بحجم النانو. تم تحفيز الدراسة المكثفة في تكوين الجسيمات النانوية باستخدام تقنيات تركيبية مختلفة، بالإضافة إلى استخداماتها المحتملة، من خلال كفاءتها الضوئية العالية، وفجوة النطاق العريض، وطاقة ربط الأكسيتون العالية. في تغليف المواد الغذائية، يمكن استخدام الجسيمات النانوية لثاني أكسيد الزركونيوم كعوامل مضادة للميكروبات ومضادة للسرطان. استجابةً للاهتمام المتزايد بـ nano ZrO2 ، ابتكر الباحثون وطوروا طرقًا لتركيب الجسيمات النانوية. تم مؤخرًا إنشاء مركبات ZrO2 النانوية ذات الأشكال المختلفة باستخدام طرق بيولوجية ("الكيمياء الخضراء"). تساهم كل من الميكروبات والنباتات في إنتاج الزركونيا في المختبر. يتم توفير عوامل التثبيت بواسطة الجزيئات الحيوية الموجودة في المستخلصات النباتية، بينما يتم توفير الإنزيمات بواسطة الكائنات الحية الدقيقة كعوامل للتغطية والتثبيت (داخل الخلايا أو خارج الخلية). من الممكن تحليل الجسيمات النانوية المنتجة باستخدام مجموعة متنوعة من الأساليب التحليلية، بما في ذلك التحليل الطيفي للأشعة فوق البنفسجية المرئية، وحيود الأشعة السينية (XRD) ، والمجهر الإلكتروني للإرسال (TEM) ، والتحليل الطيفي للأشعة تحت الحمراء (FT-IR). عند تطبيقها على البكتيريا (موجبة الجرام وسالبة الجرام) والفطريات، تظهر ZrO2NPs قدرات واعدة مضادة للجراثيم. تعتبر الخلايا الطبيعية والخبيثة حساسة للجسيمات النانوية ZrO2 ، والتي يمكن تفسيرها من خلال توليد الأكسجين التفاعلي (ROS). يناقش هذا العمل ويصف الطرق العديدة لإنتاج جسيمات ZrO2 النانوية، بالإضافة إلى خصائصها وإمكانيات التطبيق المختلفة.A critical milestone in nano-biotechnology is establishing reliable and ecological friendly methods for fabricating metal oxide NPs. Because of their great biodegradable, electrical, mechanical, and optical qualities, zirconia NPs (ZrO2NPs) attract much interest among all zirconia NPs (ZrO2NPs). Zirconium oxide (ZrO2) has piqued the interest of researchers throughout the world, particularly since the development of methods for the manufacture of nano-sized particles. An extensive study into the creation of nanoparticles utilizing various synthetic techniques and their potential uses has been stimulated by their high luminous efficiency, wide bandgap, and high exciton binding energy. Zirconium dioxide nanoparticles may be used as antimicrobial and anticancer agents in food packaging. In response to the growing interest in nano ZrO2, researchers invented and developed methods for synthesizing nanoparticles. ZrO2 nanocomposites with various morphologies have recently been created using biological (green chemistry) methods. Microbes and plants both contribute to the production of zirconia in the laboratory. Capping and stabilizing agents are provided by the biomolecules found in plant extracts, whereas microorganisms provide enzymes as capping and stabilizing agents (intracellular or extracellular). It is possible to analyze the nanoparticles produced using a variety of analytical approaches, including ultraviolet-visible spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction (XRD), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR). When applied to bacteria (both Gram-positive and Gram-negative) and fungi, ZrO2NPs show promising antibacterial capabilities. Normal and malignant cells are sensitive to ZrO2 nanoparticles, which can be explained by the generation of reactive oxygen (ROS). This work discusses and describes many ways of producing ZrO2 nanoparticles, their properties, and various application possibilities

Analysis of Wind Turbine Driven Permanent Magnet Synchronous Generator under Different Loading Conditions

This paper proposes the configuration of a Wind Turbine generating system equipped with Permanent Magnet Synchronous Generator (PMSG). There are different types of synchronous generators, but the PMSG is chosen which has better performance due to higher efficiency and less maintenance. Since it can be used without a gearbox also implies a reduction of the weight of the nacelle and a reduction of costs. The model includes a wind turbine model, drive train model and PMSG model. The equations that explain their behavior have been introduced. The generator model is established in the d-q synchronous rotating reference frame. The proposed Wind Turbine Generator System (WTGS) has been implemented in MATLAB/SIMULINK software. The PMSG is operating in stand-alone which is loaded with different types of loads. The simulation results indicate the ability of wind driven PMSG to operate over wide range of operating conditions at different loading conditions and show effect of different load types in operation. Keywords: Permanent Magnet Synchronous Generator (PMSG), Wind Turbine, Wind Energy and WTGS MATLAB/SIMULINK

A Predictive Model for Student Performance in Classrooms using Student Interactions with an eTextbook

With the rise of online eTextbooks and Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs), a huge amount of data has been collected related to students’ learning. With the careful analysis of this data, educators can gain useful insights into their students’ performance and their behavior in learning a particular topic. This paper proposes a new model for predicting student performance based on an analysis of how students interact with an interactive online eTextbook. By being able to predict students’ performance early in the course, educators can easily identify students at risk and provide a suitable intervention. We considered two main issues: the prediction of good/bad performance and the prediction of the final exam grade. To build the proposed model, we evaluated the most popular classification and regression algorithms. Random Forest Regression and Multiple Linear Regression have been applied in Regression. While Logistic Regression, decision tree, Random Forest Classifier, K Nearest Neighbors, and Support Vector Machine have been applied in classification. Based on the findings of the experiments, the algorithm with the best result overall in classification was Random Forest Classifier with an accuracy equal to 91.7%, while in the regression it was Random Forest Regression with an R2 equal to 0.977

Identifying Difficult exercises in an eTextbook Using Item Response Theory and Logged Data Analysis

The growing dependence on eTextbooks and Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs) has led to an increase in the amount of students' learning data. By carefully analyzing this data, educators can identify difficult exercises, and evaluate the quality of the exercises when teaching a particular topic. In this study, an analysis of log data from the semester usage of the OpenDSA eTextbook was offered to identify the most difficult data structure course exercises and to evaluate the quality of the course exercises. Our study is based on analyzing students' responses to the course exercises. We applied item response theory (IRT) analysis and a latent trait mode (LTM) to identify the most difficult exercises .To evaluate the quality of the course exercises we applied IRT theory. Our findings showed that the exercises that related to algorithm analysis topics represented the most difficult exercises, and there existing six exercises were classified as poor exercises which could be improved or need some attention.Comment: 6 pages,5 figure

Adenosine A2A Receptor Blockade Prevents Rotenone-Induced Motor Impairment in a Rat Model of Parkinsonism

Pharmacological studies implicate the blockade of adenosine receptorsas an effective strategy for reducing Parkinson’s disease (PD) symptoms. The objective of this study is to elucidate the possible protective effects of ZM241385 and 8-cyclopentyl-1, 3-dipropylxanthine, two selective A2A and A1 receptor antagonists, on a rotenone rat model of PD. Rats were split into four groups: vehicle control (1 ml/kg/48 h), rotenone (1.5 mg/kg/48 h, s.c.), ZM241385 (3.3 mg/kg/day, i.p) and 8-cyclopentyl-1, 3-dipropylxanthine (5 mg/kg/day, i.p). After that, animals were subjected to behavioral (stride length and grid walking) and biochemical (measuring concentration of dopamine levels using high performance liquid chromatography, HPLC). In the rotenone group, rats displayed a reduced motor activity and disturbed movement coordination in the behavioral tests and a decreased dopamine concentration as foundby HPLC. The effect of rotenone was partially prevented in the ZM241385 group, but not with 8-cyclopentyl-1,3-dipropylxanthine administration. The administration of ZM241385 improved motor function and movement coordination (partial increase of stride length and partial decrease in the number of foot slips) and an increase in dopamine concentration in the rotenone-injected rats. However, the 8-cyclopentyl-1,3-dipropylxanthine and rotenone groups were not significantly different. These results indicate that selective A2A receptor blockade by ZM241385, but not A1 receptor blockadeby 8-cyclopentyl-1,3-dipropylxanthine, may treat PD motor symptoms. This reinforces the potential use of A2A receptor antagonists as a treatment strategy for PD patients

PROTECTIVE EFFECT OF CAMEL MILK AS ANTI-DIABETIC SUPPLEMENT: BIOCHEMICAL, MOLECULAR AND IMMUNOHISTOCHEMICAL STUDY

Background: Diabetes is a serious disease affects human health. Diabetes in advanced stages is accompanied by general weakness and alteration in fats and carbohydrates metabolism. Recently there are some scientific trends about the usage of camel milk (CM) in the treatment of diabetes and its associated alterations. CM contains vital active particles with insulin like action that cure diabetes and its complications but how these effects occur, still unclear. Materials and Methods: Seventy-five adult male rats of the albino type divided into five equal groups. Group 1 served as a negative control (C). Group 2 was supplemented with camel milk (CM). Diabetes was induced in the remaining groups (3, 4 and 5). Group 3 served as positive diabetic control (D). Group 4 served as diabetic and administered metformin (D+MET). Group 5 served as diabetes and supplemented with camel milk (D+CM). Camel milk was supplemented for two consecutive months. Serum glucose, leptin, insulin, liver, kidney, antioxidants, MDA and lipid profiles were assayed. Tissues from liver and adipose tissues were examined using RT-PCR analysis for the changes in mRNA expression of genes of carbohydrates and lipid metabolism. Pancreas and liver were used for immunohistochemical examination using specific antibodies. Results: Camel milk supplementation ameliorated serum biochemical measurements that altered after diabetes induction. CM supplementation up-regulated mRNA expression of IRS-2, PK, and FASN genes, while down-regulated the expression of CPT-1 to control mRNA expression level. CM did not affect the expression of PEPCK gene. On the other hand, metformin failed to reduce the expression of CPT-1 compared to camel milk administered rats. Immunohistochemical findings revealed that CM administration restored the immunostaining reactivity of insulin and GLUT-4 in the pancreas of diabetic rats. Conclusion: CM administration is of medical importance and helps physicians in the treatment of diabetes mellitus

The Role of Technology in Preventive Measures to Combat Money Laundering Crime: Case study Sudan

This study aimed to highlight the role that technology can play in the preventive measures to combat money laundering, especially since money laundering crimes have become dependent on advanced technical techniques in addition to many electronic means that are currently available. This necessitated the development of advanced technical means and tools to combat money laundering. The researchers used the case study methodology, which is characterized by many advantages that make it suitable for this study, including that it allows the collection of data from multiple sources. The study reached many results, the most prominent of which is that the phenomenon of money laundering passes in most of the stage of transfers through bank accounts, which must provide a degree of banking secrecy for customer accounts, which makes the matter of balancing between combating money laundering and maintaining the secrecy of customer accounts difficult and not Palliser. The most prominent of the recommendations of this study is that the legislation and laws of money laundering crimes must be revised and followed up with the necessary decisive, strict and rapid amendments, at least annually